Terry Nelson, campaign manager for Republican Presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., poses at the Republican debate at the University of South Carolina's Koger Center for the Arts in this May... (Associated Press)

(Newser)
–
Two major aides have decamped from John McCain's beleaguered presidential campaign, sparking rumors that they were fired and fueling suspicions that the Straight Talk Express is close to derailing. Terry Nelson, McCain's campaign manager, and John Weaver, his chief strategist, hopped off this morning, both with minimal statements assuring their support for the floundering candidate.

Mark Salter, a veteran McCain booster often referred to as the senator's alter-ego, also left the payroll today. Insiders tell WaPo that McCain ousted Nelson and Weaver over the campaign's anemic fundraising; longtime aide Rick Davis is rumored to have taken the helm.